Butler University’s Student Government Association (SGA), located in Indiana, failed to pass two resolutions on October 21 that would have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism and condemned the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement as anti-Semitic.
The pro-Palestinian news outlet Mondoweiss reported that those two resolutions were pulled after members of Butler’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) spoke about the resolutions. Instead, a resolution was passed condemning anti-Semitism generally and had no mention of the IHRA definition or BDS. The resolution concluded that the SGA “will not again address the definition of antisemitism for the remainder of this term.” The final vote total was not publicly released.
Butler SJP said in a statement to Mondoweiss, “Resolutions that oppose BDS and equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism not only harm Palestinians, but also uphold systems which have historically been used as weapons to silence marginalized voices across the Global South. We must reject and actively oppose such measures, while also reaffirming our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for all peoples through mass action and popular education, in our communities and throughout our campuses.”
JVP also tweeted, “HUGE congratulations to SJP and JVP students at Butler University for their brilliant activism for Palestinian rights and defeating anti-BDS resolutions!”
HUGE congratulations to SJP and JVP students at Butler University for their brilliant activism for Palestinian rights and defeating anti-BDS resolutions!
And thank you to all who called Butler University or signed the petition!@NationalSJP @JVPIndiana https://t.co/6pXyMK1xqn
— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) October 22, 2020
Other Jewish groups condemned the SGA’s actions.
“We stand with Jewish students at Butler,” StandWithUs co-founder and CEO Roz Rothstein said in a statement to the Journal. “The IHRA definition reflects the ways Jewish people experience antisemitism and marginalization today. Rejecting it is a victory for hate on campus, sending a message that Jews don’t deserve the same basic rights and respect as everyone else. Butler’s SGA and administration should be ashamed, and reverse course immediately.”
BDS Report similarly tweeted, “The IHRA definition of antisemitism is the most widely accepted definition of antisemitism and is used by nearly 30 countries including the USA. Butler SGA failed to protect its Jewish students!”
#BREAKING: @ButlerSGA rejected the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
The IHRA definition of antisemitism is the most widely accepted definition of antisemitism and is used by nearly 30 countries including the USA.
Butler SGA failed to protect its Jewish students!
— BDS Report (@BDSreport) October 22, 2020
This comes after the SGA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion board hosted an event from October 6-8 in conjunction with Butler SJP called “Boycott & Safe Protesting 101.” The event featured artwork calling for people to “Boycott Israel,” according to Jewish News Syndicate (JNS).
On October 14, the Butler administration pressured the SGA to table the resolutions adopting the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and condemning BDS, JNS reported. A resolution condemning anti-Semitism also failed in the SGA on October 7.
